NEWS

Top TikTok toy influencer Rhia.Official reveals how brands can win big on the platform

Published on: 27th July 2021

In this guest piece by Fanbytes, Rhia talks about the secrets to her success and how toy brands can tap into TikTok. 

@Rhia.official

It should come as no surprise to anyone that toys have well and truly found a home on TikTok. The platform has been driving the ‘holy grail’ combination of mass sales and brand love, as well as giving birth to an assortment of explosive toy trends and crazes.

An important figure right at the heart of this thriving TikTok toy community is @rhia.official, an influencer featured by the likes of Nickelodeon and CBBC, and boasting 12m fans, making her hugely influential in the toy space. Having joined TikTok in 2017, she possesses the experience, creativity and personality to deliver the insights brands need to win big on TikTok. Managed by Bytesized Talent, Fanbytes’ talent management arm, Rhia has worked on blockbuster campaigns with brands including Zuru and Mattel.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, such as your TikTok journey and how you grew your audience to 12m followers.

Hi! I’m Rhia Official and I’m from South Wales in the UK. I first joined TikTok in 2017, back when it was called musical.ly. In just a few weeks, my audience started growing by the thousands, and within a few months I hit 1m incredible supporters. From day one I focused on content that was fun and colourful, aiming to spread positivity and enjoyment. I am so grateful that my audience has continued to grow to 11.9m, and that my content can inspire people everyday.

What is your best-performing video to date and what was the secret(s) that sent it viral? 

My best performing video to date was of a giant Rainbow Egg that has a mystery surprise inside. You pop the egg in a bowl of water for 48 hours, and patiently wait for your surprise. This video got over 70m views, and went global on TikTok. I think the secret to this video’s success was building the anticipation with that 48 hour wait; people kept coming back to my page for updates, and enjoyed seeing the egg crack open slowly. People were so intrigued to see what we got – a Rainbow Unicorn and lots of feathers.

You’ve had success with migrating audiences to other platforms, growing a substantial audience on YouTube, when others haven’t – how did you crack it?

I’m extremely fortunate to have grown an amazing audience of 3m on YouTube. The key to transitioning my followers from TikTok to YouTube lay in keeping my content very similar to TikTok, but making the videos longer too. For example, if people love my 60-second mystery egg hatching videos on TikTok, then they probably also want to see a full 10-minute video on YouTube of me unboxing 100 mystery toys at once. That’s my best tip – keeping the content similar, but tailoring it for each platform.

Can you walk us through the process of coming up with a great video concept?

When thinking of a video concept, I first see if there’s any trending songs on TikTok that I could use: this can help your video trend too. Secondly, I go to a toy shop and see what new products are out. It’s always great to make sure your videos are original – something that no one has done yet – to make you stand out. I then hunt down a fun and colourful product that has an element of mystery to it, perhaps a mystery box, water reveal toy or even a giant hatching egg.

You’re moving into building your own brands with help from your management company, Bytesized Talent. What sort of brands are you thinking of building?

Our main focus currently is a Rhia Mystery Box. Inside will be some of my favourite toy products, and of course some mystery items to add an element of surprise! My Mystery Unboxings have been so popular on TikTok, so we are hoping to carry that over into my own product.

What would be the No. 1 piece of advice you’d give to toy brands looking to build a presence on TikTok?

Create a TikTok account for your brand, and post videos that consistently stand out. Eye-catching, bright and colourful toy content will definitely help pull an audience in. In terms of branding, always reach out to influencers whose content matches the specific toy brand already. This ensures the influencer’s audience won’t merely see the video as an advert, but will genuinely enjoy it –  such videos resonate perfectly with what an audience comes to that creator for.

What are your favourite brands on TikTok and why?

One of my favourite brands on TikTok is Zuru’s Mini Brands, tiny cute collectibles in the form of food and toys. Just recently, the company released an All Gold Series which was so fun to unbox. I even received a Toy Mini Brand Claw Machine, which I am obsessed with. Mattel, Ubisoft, Chupa Chups and even JustEat were all great brands to work with, and we came up with some great content that worked well and inspired others.

Conclusion

This is just a fraction of what influencers can deliver for toy brands on TikTok. The marketing landscape is rapidly changing, with a more concentrated focus on brand ambassadorship and influencer relationships that promise to keep brands relevant and in touch with Gen Z. Those who recognise this that will receive a free pass into the TikTok world and win big.

That’s why Fanbytes has launched a specialised toy vertical. Home to an expert toy team and some of the biggest toy creators on TikTok, it gives companies a chance to put their toys front and centre of Gen Z’s minds, and more importantly keep them there.

If you’d like to find out how Fanbytes can help you open the door to the weird and wonderful world of TikTok, get in touch today.

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